Contrasts Dresden Solo Annette Unger, Violin Contrasts Annette Unger, Violin Hans Börner (1927–2006) From 50 Aphoristic Studies, Op. 34 © 1986 by VEB Deutscher Verlag für Musik Leipzig 01 Contrasts . (02'32) Johann Georg Pisendel (1687–1755) Sonata for Solo Violin without Bass in A minor © 1952 by Schranck No. II, Dresden | Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 02 Largo . (02'39) 03 Allegro . (05'54) 04 Giga . (04'03) 05 Variations . (05'30) Hans Börner From 50 Aphoristic Studies, Op. 34 © 1986 by VEB Deutscher Verlag für Musik Leipzig 06 Allegro appassionato (change of meter) . (00'55) 07 Foxtrot . (00'49) 08 Waltz . (01'02) 09 Polka and Mazurka . (01'26) Rainer Lischka (*1942) Three Pieces for Solo Violin © 2008 by Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag Leipzig 10 Energetic . (02'12) 11 Cantabile . (02'32) 12 With verve . (01'36) Stefan Frenkel (1902–1979) Sonata for Solo Violin, Op. 1 © 1923 by N. Simrock GmbH Berlin 13 Praeludium (Molto sostenuto) . (04'11) 14 Scherzino (Poco vivace – Piu Tranquillo) . (02'30) 15 Quasi Adagio . (04'12) 16 Presto . (01'54) 17 Fuge (Moderato poco maestoso) . (03'00) Manfred Weiss (*1935) © 2015 by Bellmannmusik e.K., UA 2015 Annette Unger 18 Fantasy for Solo Violin . (08'16) Rainer Lischka Frivolities for Solo Violin © by Rainer Lischka 19 ABC (mambo feel) . (04'42) 20 Major thirds/minor thirds (as in blues) . (03'34) 21 2-3-4 (exuberant) . (02'08) Hans Börner From 50 Aphoristic Studies, Op. 34 © 1986 by VEB Deutscher Verlag für Musik Leipzig 22 Maestoso . (00'50) 23 Gypsy melody . (02'16) Total Time . (68'55) Contrasts – Dresden Solo ontrasts – this album featuring works by Dresden composers takes its name from the title of a work from Hans Börner’s Aphoristic Studies, Op. 34. If we look up this word, we fi nd, in addition to the most common meaning of C “diff erence”, a more specifi c defi nition relating to the seven color contrasts, in- cluding light-dark, cold-warm, complementary-contrasting, and the contrast of saturation. The term marks the accentuation of diff erence, the property of delimitation, and the eff ect that is elicited by dualism in art. Dualisms are omnipresent in our understanding of the world: images of life and death, of becoming and passing away, of being and not-being, of the experienced and the unexperienced contrast with one another. Such seemingly irreconcilable contradictions often impose themselves on our lives and perceptions in our judgements, assessments, and conversations. Art is able – dualistically as well – either to accentuate this view or to unite and reconcile it. Contrasts are pervasive in the works on this recording: from the diff erent interpreta- tions of the movements (which mostly draw on dance forms), which (must) follow an inner order and whose changing forms can be traced through the centuries; to the use of vir- tuoso elements which, from Pisendel, an important exponent and pioneer of the Dresden violin school, up to Frenkel and Weiss, continually expanded the possibilities of the violin or 5 offered new combinations thereof; to the presentation of entertaining (not “light”!) inter- pretations and effects that can be heard here particularly in Pisendel and later in Lischka and Börner. Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff From: "The Wandering Musician" They sit sullenly and grumble On the benches mute and wide, The lazy stretch themselves, yawning, And the impudent are looking for a fight. I come walking through the village From afar through the cool evening, Step into the midst of the company, Greet them and pull out my violin. And as I swivel my bow, The sounds pierce To their very marrow, To the bottom of their heart. These verses, which served as the inspiration for a piece on this album by Rainer Lischka, could also be a motto and metaphor for a transformation the listener undergoes in hearing 6 several of the works on this album, with regard to the effect of the music itself as well as a questioning of the meaningfulness of our activities and the depth of our experience. It may thus add a further contrast: that of before/after. Several of the works selected here share one thing in common: their pedagogical back- ground, which can be at least inferred from the composers’ statements but is never placed in the foreground. It is found both in Pisendel's compositions and in those by Börner and Lischka written for specific occasions or to be played by young musicians. Frenkel himself benefited from this “youth bonus” with his Opus 1, written at the age of twenty-one. But the works also have something else in common: their brevity, if not miniature character, which is accentuated by each composer and thus often further intensifies the contrasts: an exciting challenge for the interpreter! Besides the Pisendel sonata, this album features exclusively world premiere recordings! If we speak about the violin and Dresden, there is no escaping the name of Johann Georg Pisendel . Himself a pupil of Torelli and Vivaldi, the teacher of Quantz and the Graun brothers, and a colleague of Hasse and Hainichen, he is a central figure of the Baroque era. This is particularly evident in the lasting influence he has had as a “modern” orchestra conductor and concertmaster, with regard, for example, to repertoire selection and bowing discipline. “The fame of the Dresden Court Orchestra is largely based on this educational work by Johann Georg Pisendel,” wrote his pupil Quantz at the time, a contemporary, composer, writer, and flutist of the Dresden Court Orchestra. As a follower and later friend of Telemann, Pisendel also distinguished himself during different periods of his life as a highly virtuoso performer. Compositions such as the so- natas dedicated to him by Antonio Vivaldi, or his own works such as the Sonata for Solo 7 Violin in A-minor – similar to that of his friend J. S. Bach, whose solo works are formally comparable, but are raised to a higher level by Pisendel both in terms of their language of contrasts and their virtuosity – provide emphatic testimony of this. Probably the least known composer represented here is Stefan Frenkel, who trained as a violinist in Warsaw and Berlin with Moritz Frenkel, Adolf Busch, and Carl Flesch. He was concertmaster of the Dresden Philharmonic from 1924 to 1927 at the same time as Szymon Goldberg. Known through his collaboration with the pianist Paul Aron and his performance of works chiefly by Jewish composers at the Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik, the Jüdischer Kulturbund, and the Paul Aron concert cycle, he made a name for himself primarily as a violinist in performances and premieres of works by composers such as Suk, Weill, and Hindemith before emigrating to Switzerland. After serving as con- certmaster of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, he held the same position in exile at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, in Rio de Janeiro, and in Santa Fe, and worked as a violin teacher in the USA, where he died in New York in 1979. Though his highly virtuosic Sonata for Solo Violin, Op. 1, which explores varied color combinations of the instrument, was published, it was likely primarily played by himself. It stands in a strongly expressionistic tradition, and despite conventional movement titles, some interrupted modulations, and certain technical uncertainties, in terms of its expres- siveness, the interweaving of its themes, and its long arcs, it could perhaps be compared with the works of Wilhelm Furtwängler. Manfred Weiss had early and varied musical experience on the violin, piano, organ, and in choral singing, followed by studies in composition (Hans Stieber, Rudolf Wagner- Régeny, and Paul Dessau), piano, viola, music theory (Franz von Glasenapp), and harmony (Ruth Zechlin) and counterpoint (Jürgen Wilbrandt) in Halle (Saale) and Berlin. In 1959 he 8 was appointed lecturer, and later became professor of composition and music theory at the Carl Maria von Weber College of Music in Dresden, where he held a senior position until his retirement. His works were frequently performed by the orchestras in Saxony and their chamber music formations and choirs. Numerous composition students have benefited from his mentorship and testify to the important position he occupies in the musical history of Dresden. Weiss has always acknowledged the traditions and models he has drawn from, such as Hindemith and Lutosławski – inspirations that he brings into his tonal language in powerful, poetic, and sometimes concise forms. Smaller pieces for one or two instruments that combine miniature themes with subtle humor serve as examples of the latter. I had the pleasure of performing the Fantasy for Solo Violin, “... a primarily melancholy piece whose theme could be reflections in and on music ...” (Alexander Keuk, 2015), as part of a portrait concert on the occasion of his eightieth birthday. Its form is much freer than that of the other solo pieces and is characterized by an inner struggle between joy, results, and open questions, ranging between poles of calm and strongly expressive moments. Rainer Lischka studied music education and piano in Dresden with Theo Other and Wolfgang Plehn. He went on to study composition (Manfred Weiss and Johannes Paul Thilman), arrangement (Günter Hörig), and stage music (Conny Odd). From 1970 to 2007 Lischka taught composition and music theory/ear training at the Carl Maria von Weber College of Music in Dresden, where he was appointed professor of composition/arranging in 1992. “Entertainment and lightweight music, which in the context of serious music are often denounced as superficial or even insincere, are for me desirable artistic qualities, albeit dif- ficult to produce. Despite all the conflict and massive problems in and around us, we can feel or at least strive for joy of living, amiability, playfulness, and humor.